Cultivator and cotton-chopper.



H. N. HARPER.

GULTIVATOB AND COTTON CHOPPER.

.LPPLIOATION rILnn mm: 3, 190g.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

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H; N. HARPER. OULTIVATOB AND GOT'ION CHOPPER.

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H. N. HARPER. GULTIYATOR AND GOTTON CHOPPER.

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rifivrrnn s'ra'rss HENRY N. HARPER, OF MONROE, LOUISIANA.

CULTIVATOR AND COTTON-CHOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Application filed June a, 1908. Serial No. 436,376.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY N. I'IARPER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Monroe, in the parish of Ouachita and State ofLouisiana, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivatorsand Cotton-Choppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in cotton choppers and consists incertain novel constructions and combinations of parts as will behereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of amachine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsection thereof on about line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross section onabout line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one ofthe rear corners of the carrier frame showing the plow stock and thehanger therefor. Fig. 5'is a detail view illustrating the slottedbearing for the front end of the hoe shaft, and Fig. 6 is a detailsectional view, on a reduced scale, on about line 6 6 of Fig. 2.

In carrying out the invention I provide a main shaft A, in the form ofan axle, on the ends of which are mounted the wheels B. These wheels maybe secured to the shaft A by linch pins B when the machine is used as acotton chopper, and when used as a cultivator as more fully describedhereinafter, the linch pins may be removed and nuts supplied on the endsof the shaft as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 3, to permit the wheelsto turn on the axle in the use of the machine as a cultivator.

The axle journals in the rear end of the main frame C, to which thedraft tongue C is secured, and a carrier frame D is pivoted at its frontend upon the axle A, so the said carrier frame can be raised and loweredat its rear end. This carrier frame has a rear cross bar D, and a frontcross bar D The bar I) is removably secured to the side bars of thecarrier frame, being for such purposes provided at its ends with theright angular portions D lapping along the inner sides of the side barsand secured thereto by bolts D so the bar D may be removed wheneverdesired for any purpose. This bar D has a slotted opening D which formsa bearing for the front end of the hoe shaft E and is elongatedlaterally in the direction of length of the bar D so the hoe shaft E maybe moved laterally at its front end to set its beveled gear E into andout of mesh with the beveled gear A on the shaft A, the said gears E andA being preferably secured to their shafts by set screws so they can beremoved and adjusted as may be desired. At its rear end the shaft Ejournals in the rear bar D of the carrier frame D, and a pin D is passedwhich pin can be removed, when by unbolting the bar D, the said bar Dand the chopper shaft can be removed bodily from the machine to adaptthe latter for use as a cultivator frame.

The hoeing devices are carried by the shaft E and com rise preferably, ahub or body-F, having socl fets F in which the inner ends of the hoebars F are held by set screws F so the said hoe bars may be adjusted toany desired position in the sockets or removed and replaced if desired.The hoes F are secured on the outer end of the bars F preferablyadjustably, and bolts or screws F secure them in position so they may beremoved and replaced. By' this means the width of the cut of the hoe maybe varied as desired.

For adjusting the beveled gear E into and out of mesh with the gear A, Iprovide a lever G pivoted at G to the frame bar D and connected at itslower end by the link G with the chopper shaft so it may be operated tomove the said shaft laterally in such manner as to set the gear E intoand out of mesh with the gear A. By this means. the chopper device canbe thrown in a moment into and out of operative connection with thedrive mechanism, and a rack G is arranged for engagement by a pawlcarried by the lever G whereby to hold the lever in any desired positionto secure the gears E and A in or out of mesh. This lever G and the rackGr it will be noticed are carried by a removable bar D so that they arealways in posi tion relative to the chopper shaft E and are removed fromthe machine and replaced with the said bar I) in the use of the machineas before described.

When desired plows may be used in con nection with the chopper devicesso they may be used when the chopper devices are removed from themachines. Ordinary plow beams II, known as Georgia stocks may beemployed, and these stocks are hung at their front ends from the axle Aby hangers H connected at their lower ends with the plow clevis andclamped at their upper ends 1 upon the axle A as indicated in dottedlines through the shaft E in rear of the said bar Fig. 2, and at theirrear ends the plow beams are sus ended from the cross bar D by hangersI, c amped at their upper ends to the said bar D and having at theirlower ends boxlike portions which embrace the rear end of the plow beamand are secured thereto by a clamping bolt, a pin I being passed throughthe beam adjacent to the hanger l, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of thedrawing. The rear ends of the plow beam are thus con nected with thecarrier frame so that the rocking of the said frame on the axle A willregulate the depth of the plow, and will also permit the lifting of theplows clear of the ground when desired. This rocking of the carrierframe on the axle also enables me to regulate the depth of the hoes F aswell as to lift the said hoes clear of the ground whenever desired as inmoving from field to field in the use of the invention.

For raising and lowering the carrier frame I provide an intermediatelever frame J pivoted at its opposite ends at J in the side bars of themain frame, and provided at said ends with upwardly projecting a "ms Jwhose up per ends are connected by rods J with the carrier frame,preferably near the rear end of the latter, and the said lever frame hasan intermediate arm 5 in the form of an arch to whose central portion issecured the upper rear end of a lin; J whose front end is secured to thelower end of an operating lever J pivoted at J to the pole and engagingwith a rack J by which it may be secured in different adjustments tohold the carrier frame in any desired position. The operation of thelever J is well illustrated in full and dotted lines Fig. 2, the fulllines showing the carrier frame lowered to position for use, and thedotted lines showing the said frame raised to adjust the holes clear ofthe ground. T he lever J, it will be noticed is arranged in position tobe operated from the drivers seat, this being best shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings.

The hoes F as described are removable and they may be replaced by hoesof different widths, thus aiding in regulating the width of the stand ofcotton left in the row.

I claim 1. The improvement in cotton choppers herein describedcomprising a main frame, an axle journaled to the main frame, a carrierframe pivoted at its front end on the axle whereby it may be raised andlowered, and having a rear cross bar, a front cross bar provided with alaterally slotted opening for a hoe shaft, means for securing the frontcross bar detachably in place, a rack mounted on the said cross bar, ahoe shaft j ournaled at its front end in the slotted opening of the l ll l l l l frame in rear 915,432 mm rm-air fess front cross bar, and alsohaving a bearing at its rear end in the rear bar of the carrier frame,gearing between the front end of the hoe shaft and the axle, a leverpivoted to the front cross bar and having a pawl engaging with the rackmounted on said bar, 'a ink connecting the said lever with the front endof the hoe shaft, an intermediate lever frame pivoted at its ends to themain frame and provided at its ends with upwardly projecting arms, andalso having an intermediate arm in the form of an arch, an operatinglever connected with said intermediate arm, and rods connecting the endarms of the intermediate lever with the rear portion of the carrierframe whereby the operating lever may be manipulated to raise and lowerthe rear end of the carrier frame, substantially as set forth.

2. A cotton chopper comprising an axle, a main frame in advance thereof,a carrier of the axle and pivoted at its front end thereto, hoeingdevices in the carrie frame and geared with the axle, an inter mediatelever frame pivoted to the main frame and having upwardly projectingarms, and rods connecting the same with the carrier frame, and a leverfor operating the intermediate frame substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine substantially as described,

the combination with a drive shaft, and a carrier frame havinga mainbar, and a front bar, the latter being provided with a laterally slottedbearing, a hoe shaft journaled at its front end in the said slottedbearing and geared at such end with the drive shaft, and a leverconnecting with the front end of the hoe shaft whereby to shift the samein its slotted bearing to move the chopper shaft into and out of gearwith the drive shaft, and chopping devices on thejchopper shaft,substantially as set forth.

4. A machine substantially as described, comprising an axle, a mainframe in advance of the axle, a carrier frame in rear of the axle andpivoted at its front end thereto, chopping devices in the carrier framegeared with the axle, an intermediate lever frame pivoted. at its endsin the main frame, and having at said ends upwardly projecting sidearms, and also provided with an upwardly projecting arch-like portionbetween said side arms, rods connecting the side arms with the car rierframe, and an operating lever connected with the arch portion of theintermediate lever frame, substantially as set forth.

ROBERT O. RANDLE, O. S. DUNN.

